Weekly Roundup: Gencor’s Levagen certified by Brazil’s ANVISA, Danone’s Nutricia acquires Real Food Brands

23 Oct 2020 --- Consumers are increasingly coveting evidence-proven ingredients, which has led to a slew of certifications this week, including Hofseth Biocare, Gencor and Wiley Companies. Danone’s specialized nutrition arm Nutricia acquired a food brand for tube-fed consumers, while Sirio Europe made its Brandenburg facility more energy efficient with new manufacturing equipment. The latest research strides found Arjuna Natural’s ashwagandha to aid in sleep quality, while Plasma Nutrition’s Ingredient Optimized technology significantly improved ingredient bioavailability in a new study.

In brief: Certifications
Hofseth Biocare received Health Canada approval for health claims for its salmon protein hydrolysate (ProGo and CollaGo). Also internationally recognized by several Asian countries and the US, the approved recommended use and purpose claims include the maintenance of healthy levels of ferritin, hemoglobin and blood components required for oxygen transport. In addition, the supplements are certified for providing antioxidants for good health and promoting healthy skin. As the bioactive peptides in ProGo and CollaGo do not contain iron, they are free from gastrointestinal side effects seen with iron tablets, such as nausea, constipation and metallic taste. 

Gencor received certification by Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency, Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria (ANVISA), for Levagen as a Novel Food. The certification allows Gencor to market and sell Levagen as “ANVISA-certified” within Brazil. ANVISA acts as the health regulatory agency for the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Levagen is a clinically studied form of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), a fatty acid amide that increases anandamide levels, which is an endocannabinoid that regulates pain and sleep receptors.

Hofseth Biocare received approval for the use of claims focused on maintaining healthy levels of iron and white blood cells.Wiley Companies was certified as an FSSC 22000 company by global certifying body SAI Global. This certification verifies that Wiley Companies conforms to industry-related statutory and regulatory requirements as outlined by the FSSC 22000 International Standard for Food Safety Management Systems. It also provides a framework for effectively managing the organization’s food safety responsibilities moving forward. This certification comes on the heels of the company earning ISO 9001:2015 registration for certification earlier this year.

In brief: Business news
Nutricia, part of Danone, acquired Real Food Blends, a company that provides real-food products for tube-fed consumers. With this acquisition, Nutricia will build upon the real food ingredients portfolio that Real Food Blends founders Julie and Tony Bombacino have created in the past eight years. Nutricia will also bolster the Real Food Blends’ accessibility and versatility, says the company. 

Sirio Europe completed a “major overhaul” of its site in Brandenburg, Germany, with new eco-conscious manufacturing technologies. New HVAC systems increase the plant’s manufacturing capacity while further reducing the risk of product contamination. Meanwhile, individual drying chambers help improve energy efficiency via temperature control. Vegetarian softgel manufacturing equipment was also installed in response to the growing demand for plant-based nutraceuticals. These site upgrades are supported by a block heat and power station, estimated to increase power output by up to 50 percent. The technology captures and recycles heat – otherwise lost as waste – into thermal energy to power the new manufacturing equipment. 

Wiley Companies was certified as an FSSC 22000 company by global certifying body, SAI Global. Tivity Health entered into a definitive agreement with Kainos Capital, a food and consumer-focused private equity firm. In this agreement, Kainos Capital will acquire Tivity Health’s Nutrition Business, which includes Nutrisystem and South Beach Diet, for a purchase price of US$575 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. 

In brief: Research and studies
Plasma Nutrition’s Ingredient Optimized technology significantly improves bioavailability across five of its ingredients, according to a study funded by the bioavailability technology specialist. One of these ingredients, ioPea protein, was found to substantially improve absorption of leucine, BCAA’s and EAA’s overall. According to the findings, ioPea also improves pea protein bioavailability to make it equivalent to whey protein. The authors of the study stated these results could have a far-reaching impact, noting that the technology may be highly beneficial for exercising individuals, the elderly and those affected by a reduced sensitivity to amino acids. 

Arjuna Natural’s ashwagandha extract ingredient Shoden significantly increased overall restorative sleep by 42 percent and decreased wake time after sleep onset by 14 minutes in newly published clinical research. It also demonstrated it could substantially improve participants’ energy level scores (by 57 percent), mood scores (by 48 percent), rested and refreshed state scores (by 76 percent) and mental alertness scores (by 71 percent) based on analysis of individual questions. Shoden is now available commercially in North America exclusively from NutriScience Innovations.

In brief: Miscellaneous 
The US Food and Drug Administration is taking two actions regarding labeling certain sugars on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts label. The FDA is issuing a Request for Information to receive information about the nutrition labeling of sugars that are metabolized differently than traditional sugars. The FDA also is issuing a final guidance regarding allulose, addressing both allulose on Nutrition Facts and Supplement Facts labels and the caloric content of allulose for use in nutrition labeling.

Nutricia, part of Danone, acquired Real Food Blends that provides nutritious solutions to consumers with feeding tubes.Tapping into the growing personalization trend, Indena collaborated with Onegevity, a health and wellness platform. It uses AI and machine learning to map and understand the billions of dynamic biological features that describe the state of an individual’s health. Onegevity offers at-home tests, which identify patterns of variation associated with diminishing well-being and provide “actionable solutions” for diet, nutrition and lifestyle measures, Indena highlights. The partnership will aid Indena in further expanding its shift toward a focus on preventive health. The company further aims to discover novel potential indications with Onegevity, as well as beneficial effects for new or known botanical ingredients.

The American Botanical Council (ABC) announced that Symphony Natural Health adopted maca (Lepidium meyenii) through its adopt-an-herb program. Symphony Natural Health’s adoption will support ABC’s HerbMedPro database, which provides access to important scientific and clinical research data on the uses and health effects of more than 265 herbs, spices, medicinal plants and fungi. “Maca is the core ingredient in half of our product line. We have been researching the plant for more than 20 years and we have exported thousands of tons of maca around the world from our operation in Peru, controlling the whole process from seed to shelf,” says James Frame, CEO of Symphony Natural Health.

By Anni Schleicher